“Hacks” Hive, rise up! We’re just over halfway through the fourth season, but there’s a chance the show may have already locked in its Emmys. Since its inception back in 2021, “Hacks” has amassed an impressive 48 Emmy nominations and nine wins over the course of three seasons. While season four has set a record low in its Rotten Tomatoes scores, performances have not suffered the same fate. Will a dip in ratings translate to a dip in Emmys?
This season has so far boiled down to Deborah – attempting to be the jack of all trades while mastering none as her newly established late-night show has faltered in ratings, vs. Ava – who naively believes she and Deborah can single-handedly change the late-night landscape by pushing the audience’s taste away from typical, topical laughs to niche, high brow comedy. Their opposite approach to the world of late-night television scratches only the surface of their weekly brawls; deep down, they’re both hurt by the one they care about most: each other. Deborah and Ava have become so enmeshed in each other’s success and lives that one doesn’t work without the other. Will the Emmy voters finally realize the same is true for both Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder?
Acting Performances
We can just call the race right now, right? Of all the Emmy races to watch, Jean Smart should be coasting into Emmys Sunday with the confidence of a mediocre white man about to do…anything, really. She’s 3 for 3 in Lead Actress in a Comedy Series wins so far, embarking on a Julia Louis-Dreyfus style run, who won the same award for six of “Veep’s” seven seasons (losing only to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s illustrious “Fleabag.”) There’s likely no “Fleabag”-style sleeper hit coming in to unseat Smart as the undisputed reigning queen of late night (wishful thinking) and comedy (proven fact), so I hope she’s clearing a spot on her shelf for her fourth (but probably not last) Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy.
In a completely opposite approach, the Emmys have thrice nominated yet failed to award Hannah Einbinder for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance as Ava, the self-righteous yet fundamental catalyst to Deborah’s success. Some may argue in the spirit of category fraud that Einbinder was robbed in last year’s race, losing to Liza Colón-Zayas from “The Bear,” but I think this will finally be the year Einbinder is recognized with the Emmy hardware. There’s a scene in episode six where Ava has reached her breaking point, and Deborah finally relents in her pursuit of making Ava’s life as miserable as possible. Deborah realizes she can’t do this or anything in her life these past few years, that she’s found success in without Ava, and that she promises to be better. Einbinder’s heartbreaking reaction, full of grief, love, hope, and desperation, is arguably her best work yet. If the “Hacks” team knows what they’re doing (which they’ve proven time and time again that they do), this scene will be Einbinder’s inevitable Emmy submission and long overdue win.
There’s a possibility we will see an individual nomination for Meg Stalter for her work as Kayla, the incompetent, chaotic comedic relief and bane of her boss Jimmy’s existence. Stalter nails the over-the-top, entitled nepo baby with endless amounts of laughs and charm, but her work is too one-dimensional to be rewarded in a category filled with much more layered characters, especially over her co-star, Hannah Einbinder.
While co-creator Paul W. Downs has been cleaning up Emmys for his behind-the-scenes efforts throughout these first three seasons, 2024 was the first year he was recognized with a supporting acting nomination for his portrayal of the well-meaning but exasperated agent/amateur therapist Jimmy Lusaque, Jr. He ultimately lost in an expected back-to-back win for Ebon Moss-Bachrach of “The Bear;” and while I foresee Downs being recognized with another nomination this year, he’s once again up against strong competition, albeit from a different source. In what may be an unexpected but long overdue twist, the legend himself, Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford, could finally be on the Emmys stage, taking home his first-ever trophy for his role as Dr. Paul Rhoades in “Shrinking.” Since Ford has never even been nominated for an Emmy throughout his limited TV work, Emmy voters may see this as an opportunity to reward him for not only his stellar work in “Shrinking” but also as a lifetime achievement award for an industry vet. While Moss-Bachrach will be a top contender for the supporting actor prize for the third year running, I’m sensing the backlash for “The Bear‘s” category fraud is finally catching up to it, and he’ll go home empty-handed this year. Ford is heading into the Emmys as a frontrunner over Moss-Bachrach and Downs, but this is shaping up to be one of the more competitive races to watch.
We’ve seen Guest Actors and Actresses in “Hacks” nominated for each of the first three seasons, but only one win came for Laurie Metcalf in season two for her work as Weed, the scene-stealing, deadpanned tour manager. With a plethora of guest stars to choose from this season, odds are we’ll get a couple of “Hacks” stars in the mix again. Kaitlin Olsen has been nominated for seasons two and three for her work as Deborah’s daughter DJ, and with very little screen time so far this season, that third nomination could be in jeopardy. She’s expected to have more appearances in the back half of the season, so while she’ll still probably be nominated, it’s no longer a sure bet. There’s also excellent work being done by Michaela Watkins as Stacey, potentially holding the title for the world’s worst job as an HR executive forced to watch over and avert any lawsuits between Deborah and Ava. One newcomer I’d also love to see in the mix is Robby Hoffman, portraying Randi, the unapologetically confident but wildly inexperienced assistant to Jimmy and Kayla. While a long shot in the Emmys race, Hoffman’s work as Randi has added a unique character that has stolen the scene opposite Downs and Stalter – a huge feat in and of itself.
There are some pretty high odds that “Hacks” stars will score a ton of acting nominations again, but wins will likely come by way of Jean Smart, continuing her perfect “Hacks” Emmys streak, and Hannah Einbinder, finally winning her long overdue trophy.
All Other Awards
Besides the acting wins, “Hacks” has seen two wins for Best Writing (seasons one and three), one for Outstanding Directing (season one), and for Contemporary Costumes (season two). It’s likely that “Hacks” could take home both Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing once again, but neither is a lock. I’d put higher odds on Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, and Lucia Aniello winning Writing over Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo for their work on “The Bear” and Quinta Brunson for “Abbott Elementary.” But where steeper competition lies is within Outstanding Directing – the “Hacks” trio in Downs, Statsky, and Aniello will likely go head to head against Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for Apple TV+’s newest hit, “The Studio.” It seems to be an evenly matched race so far, but I’ll give the edge to “The Studio” guys with their impressive shot of “The Oner,” filmed in the style of its namesake episode title.
After racking up six Emmys in its first two seasons, season three is where the unexpected happened – “Hacks” finally took down the most unfunny Outstanding Comedy Series winner in recent memory, “The Bear.” While there’s no doubt the two will be competing against each other again, and with added competition in “The Studio” and “Only Murders in the Building,” “Hacks” likely has its easiest path to victory so far for Outstanding Comedy Series.
“Hacks” has filled a comedic and Emmy void left vacant by “Veep” six years ago, blending the story of platonic love and friendship rooted in laughter. When it’s at its best (as it’s outdone itself time and time again), it allows Smart and Einbinder to volley between love and disdain, while the invisible string cultivating the success between them never fully allows either to break away. The acting performances have arguably never been better than in season four, but there’s also fiercer competition for many of the categories. It’s not easy winning back-to-back titles of Outstanding Comedy Series, but I foresee this being the first year “Hacks” takes home more than three trophies at the Emmys and repeats as winner for the night’s top prize.
Expected Emmy Wins:
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Comedy Series
Expected Emmy Nominations:
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
What do you think of the fourth season of “Hacks?” Will the series dominate the stage at the Emmys as it has in years past? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account, and be sure to check out our latest Emmy predictions here. Please also be sure to subscribe to the Next Best Series Podcast, where we are conducting a number of interviews with Emmy contenders throughout the awards season and discussing the race over the next couple of months.
